Lady Lioness
by Lady Alyssia Lassaria
Summary: Summary Inside. Dramoine story that's definately not for the kiddies. Sorry. Constant death and fighting and stuffs. Not fun.


**Disclaimer:** I don't own the _Harry Potter_ series. JK Rowling and Warner Brothers do. T_T

**Plot:** The world is being overridden by Voldemort and his army. Muggle born witches and wizards must flee in order to survive. But friends of Hermione Granger soon finds out that she didn't flee for the obvious reasons like everyone else did. Can they find out the truth behind a web of lies and deception or will death catch up to them before they get to solve the mystery?

**A/N:** I know, I know. Dodgiest summary, right? If only I had someone I could talk to…This was an idea that was born after I was about to finish Chapter 3 of my own story, _Evening Rose_. It's a kind of crossover between my story and the Harry Potter world. Thankfully, it's not one of those stories where Hermione turns out to be a pureblood hottie. She's more than that. Yay! And it has fewer characters than all the other stories I have! For the most part, each chapter is divided into the reactions of everyone who is trying to find out what happened to Hermione and defend the world and Hermione herself who is trying to find out exactly who she is in the grand scheme of things. What she discovers rocks her world and crumbles every foundation she had.

**Chapter 1:** Something's Not Quite Right with Hermione Granger

It was the 7th and last year of schooling for Hermione Jean Granger. In some ways, it was supposed to be the happiest year of her life. 7 years of schooling was finally coming to an end and soon, a new chapter in her life was about to begin.

But, life didn't work out to be like she had hoped. Scratch that, it was turning out to be _everyone's_ worst nightmare, especially hers.

She had broken up with Ron Weasley, one of her best friends, at the start of 5th year because he was becoming increasingly clingy and an extremely bad judge of people's emotions. Especially hers. She spent most of the year avoiding him. Thankfully, Harry Potter, one of her other best friends, understood her reasons and helped her escape Ron's attempts to reconcile. Hell, _everyone_ in Gryffindor helped. It was amazing how slow Ron was about that one issue. How clueless could you get?! Luckily, Ron got the clue before she went and hexed him brutally.

Professor Dumbledore and Snape were brutally murdered by Voldemort who was rapidly gaining power. Dumbledore was killed when he had confronted Voldemort in a one-on-one late last year. Snape was killed in an attempt to shield Dumbledore. Both were given full honour burials. Harry had permitted for Snape to be buried next to his mother in a last act of kindness. Sure, he had been a git but there was no denying that he had done all he could do protecting Harry and that was because of his love for Lily Potter nee Evans.

However, some good things had occurred.

Pansy and Draco, after the murder of her parents and his father by the hand of Voldemort, joined forces with Harry and co. mid 5th year. Initially, everyone thought it was a joke. Why the hell would the Parkinson heiress and Malfoy heir join in destroying Voldemort? Why were the Slytherin Prince and Princess joining with the Gryffindor Prince and Princess? But, when they heard that all the Goyle's, Crabbe's, Nott's and Zabini's were also killed by the hand of Voldemort; it became crystal clear why they had chosen to change sides. The pain, anguish and grief in their eyes were evident from the minute they explained, rapidly progressing into anger and deep regret with each word.

In 6th year, things had changed. Pansy and Ron hooked up and were going strong in their relationship. It looked strange but it was an ideal paring that looked like a fairytale at times. Harry, Ron and Draco quickly formed an unbreakable bond between them, causing jokes to pop up that they were the new "Golden Trio". That didn't bother Hermione very much. She, Ginny and Pansy had formed their own trio which they were proud of. Pretty soon, Seamus and Neville joined the boys group, making Hermione come up with jibes that they were the Beatles. It always amused her that most of them didn't understand what she was talking about except Harry and surprisingly, Pansy.

A new girl, Grace Fuller, who was Pansy's close friend, also joined their group. She had been in Hogwarts in 3rd year, being in Beauxbatons for the two years prior. They also found out that Grace was extremely bright, third after Hermione and Draco. She had a wicked sense of humour, extremely grounded (A very good thing since she was now Harry's girlfriend), and had excellent tastes in music and fashion as well as being scarily good when it came to make up. She also had a habit of daydreaming, her piercing royal blue eyes glazing over when she did, but her daydreams helped the group understand their work more...somehow...

6th year was also a year of surprises when it was revealed that Draco had a twin sister who transferred from Beauaxbatons that year. Her name was Dandelion Nathalia Olivia Malfoy but she preferred Dandy. On appearance, she looked like the extremely feminine version of Draco with the Veela blood clearly present but they soon found out that she was an extremely gentle soul who was saved from the maliciousness of her father's influence by her mother. She was only vicious when some idiot 7th year insulted Draco, quickly telling their friends that she was extremely loyal to those she loved and cherished. She loved to laugh, quickly becoming firm friends with Grace for that, loved fashion (a bond with Ginny) and wasn't afraid of stating her own opinions which formed a bond with Hermione.

But, this was 7th year. Hermione and Draco were made Head Girl and Head Boy respectively. It made sense since they were the two best students in Hogwarts. But since Voldemort's power increase, fewer students were in Hogwarts. Gone were all the muggleborn students in first year, few lingering in other older years. Most students nowadays were either half-bloods or purebloods. But even half-bloods tended to shy away from the magical world, moving to places like Australia and New Zealand for shelter from the devastation that had befallen most of Europe. There were reports even pureblood families were buying homes in America, Canada, Australia, Singapore and New Zealand for safety. The Weasley's themselves had, with the urging and money from their children who had already done the same thing, bought estates in Australia, Canada and New Zealand. Even Draco had admitted he had bought several estates in those same countries in order to be closer to those he was familiar to. His mother, Narcissa, had adopted Pansy into the folds of her family, Pansy being a firm friend of both her children and the only child of one of her close friends.

Another blow on Hermione was the ghastly revelation that her parents were not her real parents. They had killed a woman who was minding her when she was just a month old. Even worse was the fact that they were now and always were, a part of Voldemort's army. Hermione was reeling in shock for over a month that her whole life was a lie. Her parents weren't who she and everyone else thought they were. They were now out to kill her and all the other muggleborns. Not only that but everyone she knew were classified as "blood traitors" since they were pureblood witches and wizards going against Voldemort and his army. None of them were even remotely safe but they wouldn't have it any other way.

But Hermione moved on. It didn't matter that she wasn't who she thought she was. What did matter to her was that she and her friends survived and defeated Voldemort and co. This made her more fearsome in her friend's eyes but somehow, more vulnerable. This new piece of information raised more questions than it answered. Who was she really? Was the woman her 'parents' killed her mother or someone else? Was she even a muggleborn? Was this what she really looked like? Who were her real parents?

For months, these questions plagued Hermione's mind. She relayed these concerns to Draco who looked as disturbed as she did. Over the two years, they had become close and this wasn't the only secret that Draco knew and everyone else didn't. Truthfully, Draco knew more about Hermione than anyone else hoped to know about her. In turn, Hermione knew facts not even his sister or his mother hoped to know. It was perhaps because of this that their friends and his family suspected that there was more to the pair than simple friendship. But, like all other people, the couple denied all rumours that they were "together".

Hermione had become extremely close to Dandy and Narcissa, quickly becoming the other sister Dandy never had and Narcissa's other daughter. It was Narcissa that comforted her when she found out that her 'parents' were high class Death Eaters out to kill her. It was Dandy who encouraged for her to get out more and live life like she deserved every single millisecond. They became her real family and soon, Hermione lived at Malfoy Manor, much to the amusement of everyone else. No one minded and she was quickly accepted when Narcissa stumbled on her one day cooking up a heavenly storm. She was a wiz in the kitchen, making the most disgusting of things taste amazing just by adding one simple thing. Not only was she the "smartest witch of this age" but she was the "most talented cook of this age".

It was also in 7th year that McGongall, the new Headmistress, decided that it was better to have every year in their own individual areas of the castle since numbers were dwindling and there were clearly not enough students in each house. Sure, there were still houses but each year level had their own area. That excited the 7th years, even Ginny since now she was one due to the fact that she was found to be a genius in her 4th year, causing her to be bumped up 1 year. So now, the entire group could meet without any annoying curfews.

Hermione and Draco obviously had their own sleeping quarters that was like a meeting place for the two groups. The two groups were; The Shadowers for the boys and Bliss for the girls. Collectively, they were known as the "Golden Group" but they didn't like that so much.

For everyone, December 25th was a joyous day. No duh. It was Christmas. But for Hermione, something was wrong. In previous Christmases she had before, there was a sense of peace, calm and warmth. However, this Christmas was none of the above. Now, she had moments where she felt like she was incomplete, that this wasn't her perfect existence. It was almost as if she was supposed to be someone else, some_where_ else. But where? This was all she knew and it was the one thing that was keeping her sane.

Of this, she told no one, not even Draco. All of her friends noticed the dramatic and worrying change in her actions. Most times where they were getting some much needed downtime, they would notice that she had her eyes slightly glazed over in what they could recognise as a look Grace used to wear. They had often dismissed it, leaving only Draco to worry about her wellbeing, him being the closest to her both physically and mentally.

That night, as she slept, she was transported to a place that she was sure she had never seen before but yet, her mind was struggling, in vain, to arouse memories of the past.

"_We must get her out!"_ A woman spoke desperately to someone that Hermione could not see.

"_Patience, Octavia. Have faith. You know as well as I do that she is still mortal. Besides, she will not have any clear memories of who you are."_ The woman, still unseen, replied calmly. There was an edge and a heavily royal way that the woman presented herself. Octavia too had a regal look and presence, although not to the degree that the woman had.

Octavia's shoulders slumped and she fell back into the chair that had appeared behind her. From what Hermione could see, she was tall, 6'2 by the looks of it. She had brilliant long Black ringlets and violet eyes.

"_I don't know what to think anymore, mother. James and I are anxious. Hell, I'm a mess! Candice cannot be in our care-"_Octavia began to rant before the woman cut her off.

"_Candice is your second daughter! Just because you have lost one daughter, it does not give you an excuse to lose your second! You are a mother, I know, but you are a Queen as well."_ The woman snapped before she softened when she saw absolute pain and despair on Octavia's face, _"You are my precious daughter, Octavia. You, Rebecca and Xavier mean the world to me. No, I'd give my place as Queen to protect you. But you know that these times are not safe. Rebecca's eldest daughter has already received her birthright. I understand that you are worried for Victoria but there is nothing we can do. The day is coming where she will be re-entering Metacarta but until that day arrives, we can do nothing."_

At that moment, Hermione woke up, sharply sitting up in her bed to get a sense of what she had just "dreamed" about. Her mind spun with questions she was 100% sure she would never get answers for. Who was Octavia? Where was she a Queen of? Who was the woman she was talking to? Where exactly was the woman Queen for? If Octavia was worried about someone named Victoria, why the hell was this "dream" projected onto her? Why was the woman unable to do anything for Victoria?

One thing was absolutely certain; Hermione Jean Granger was going to find every single answer as soon as possible, no matter how drastic or life altering it was.

The next couple of days were hellishly confusing for Hermione. For one, she found that Metacarta was the stuff of legends. It was said to tower above land in the Earth's atmosphere, inaccessible to those whose intentions were to exploit the strange and vast landmass. There was also a line that stated "In order to find somewhere that does not exist, you must open your mind, cease searching and lose yourself." That made no sense whatsoever to Hermione, frustrating her even further. How could you find a place that clearly didn't exist? All the frustrating evidence ultimately meant that neither Octavia nor her mother existed.

So, eventually, she decided that the only option was to find the unfindable place. It was time for her to leave anyway since she was sure Death Eaters would infiltrate Hogwarts soon and she would be one of the first to die. It was alright in terms of schoolwork since she had already done all her exams in anticipation of what was to come. The most painful part of this whole process was that she had to say goodbye to everyone she loved and she felt that ever so comforting sense of normalcy, especially Draco Malfoy.

With Draco, she had tried to deny the connection but in the end, she simply gave up to what she felt was inevitable. He was her other half, her soul mate and much as she had tried to deny that, the more she found that is was pointless.

It was the morning of the day before she would leave Hogwarts for her emancipation trip, which was the name of her trip to find Metacarta. It was becoming increasingly hard to say goodbye to her friends, all of them.

"Do you have to go?" Pansy asked for the 20th time. The girls were all even sadder than the boys since she was always the one to give a go at everything. But that didn't mean the boys weren't sad.

"Yeah... It's time, Pansy. You know that as much as I do." Hermione smiled sadly. She felt it was pointless to draw out the inevitable but she would miss her friends.

Ginny, Grace, Pansy and Dandy were inconsolable. Their respective boyfriends (Seamus for Ginny, Harry for Grace, Ron for Pansy and surprisingly, Neville for Dandy) tried their hardest but even they were on the verge of coming apart at the seams at Hermione's upcoming departure.

Even the teachers were extremely upset at Hermione's departure. Professor McGongall and Hagrid were the two who were the most open about their feelings but the group also noticed several other teachers like Professor Charity Burbage the Muggle studies teacher, Professor Sprout the Herbology teacher and Professor Flitwick the Charms teacher were struggling with their emotions. Draco had even seen Professor Snape unable to keep his emotions in check. It seemed like everyone was upset about this revelation.

At times during the day, Hermione felt like breaking down. All the anguish and all the pain on people's faces were heartbreaking. She knew that they felt that her leaving was a foretelling of what was to come and the world would be enveloping in chaos. The only thing that was holding her up, both mentally and physically, was Draco. Since their coming out as a couple several months ago, the pair was inseparable. They had every class together and there wasn't a minute that went by when they didn't feel like the other loved them. It was the couple everyone envied. Even their friends envied the couple. The top three couples that were the most envied were Draco and Hermione, Harry and Grace and Ron and Pansy.

For the couple, it was sheer agony that this had to happen. In the past, it used to be hard to get the couple to move away from each other. Now, it was a whole new ball game. It was near impossible to even _persuade_ them to move away. Their friends knew that they would marry in a heartbeat. They were that sure that they belong together. Narcissa had already given her blessing years ago but even she agreed that the timing wasn't right.

These days, whenever Hermione and Draco had spare time, they would go to the forbidden forest and to the "lover's tree", a secret tree that only they knew the location to. All their friends were oblivious to the location but they knew it existed and would persist to badger the couple into revealing where it was.

There, they could be without disturbance from everyone else. It was their little Eden and they guarded the location tightly. Not even McGongall knew where it was. There were rumours that the only other person who knew where it was happened to be Neville because Neville was Draco's confidant and future brother-in-law but it did seem a bit weird that Neville, the clumsiest person in Hogwarts, was Draco's confidante.

Hermione looked around the Head's dormitories, taking in the sight which she had become to familiarise with for the past 5 months. She had purchased a house with her own money despite Narcissa's assurance that she would never be turned away from the Malfoy Manors. But she had a niggling feeling that she would never be there for long.

A pair of arms snaked around her waist and she knew it was Draco. No one else had the password and the pair intended to keep it that way. Sure, they did have the lover's tree but the intimacy of the Head's quarters could not be denied and they used it often,

"Do you miss it?" Draco whispered softly, his head resting comfortably on her shoulder.

"Yes." Hermione replied, knowing what he meant. She knew that this time, he was asking if she had missed her freedom, the gaiety of life and all those things that she would miss as well.

Draco simply pressed a kiss on her cheek, causing her to close her eyes to savour the moment. She would miss him terribly but that was one of her main motivations to keep herself safe. They saw what the death of Lucius had done to Narcissa and were determined to remain in the realm of the living as long as they could possibly hope to imagine, not matter what the cost.

Hermione also kept silent about that fact that she had asked Dandy to come with her. She knew that Dandy was a genius of sorts, graduating last year silently. She had actually asked Professor McGongall if she could stay with all the people she knew instead of being looked at weirdly as the girl who graduated a year before she should have. Neither girl had told anyone but Dandy did tell Hermione, in secret, that she had given Neville a letter that she told him not to open until Hermione had gone. They had also agreed to leave a letter for the group and a letter for Draco's eyes only.

(**A/N:** For those of you, who are young and impressionable, turn away now and find "The next morning" because that's where this ends. But for those of you who love the adult world, read on  it's been a while since I've done one of these scenes. Review plz!)

Her silence was shattered when Draco started to caress her breast above the fabric, causing her to moan at his delicate yet passionate touches.

"Draco..." She whimpered as he burrowed underneath her top, his touch burning every inch of her skin in its quest to feel her naked breasts.

"I love you." Draco replied softly as he took off her top before turning her around and kissing her like this was his last moment with her, something that almost made her cry.

They wordlessly walked to their room, kissing and undressing each other. Unlike previous years where the head boy and head girl slept in separate rooms, they slept together. They only used the other room for spare space or when they had a massive argument.

By the time they had reached the room, Hermione had lost all her clothes except for her underwear. Draco was not much better as all her had left was his boxers which she had bought for him for his birthday.

"I really love you, Draco." Hermione whispered as they made their way onto the spacious bed.

Draco chose not to reply, his steel blue eyes shining as he gazed into her sky blue eyes as he undid her bra and tossed it aside.

She moaned again when Draco started to suck on her collar before bestowing a kiss on her already highly sensitive nipple, causing her to emit a purr.

"Draco..." Hermione whimpered, arching her back as he suckled and fondled both her breasts until she cried out in frustration and ecstasy. Tears stung her eyes as she knew this was their last time together as a couple.

Again, Draco chose not to reply but he stopped his fondling and he kissed her again, relishing in the sweetness that was their moment together. He had hoped the war would get better but if anything, it was getting worse and there was nothing he could say that would ensure her safety and he hated it.

As they kissed, Draco moved his hand down to her sex and he rubbed his thumb against her soaked clit, causing her to sharply arch against the bed and for her eyes to darken into midnight blue.

She lolled her head to cradle against his collarbone, her arms wrapped around him as he urged her further and further into her first of many orgasms to come.

When she finally came, she purred, raking her fingernails down his back. She breathed deeply. God, how she loved him with every single fibre of her body. She would give up her life for him but she knew that he would suffer in anguish if she died. She would do the same if he was dead.

"Hermione..." Draco whispered, his voice raking over her body like a caress.

When she looked into his now dark silver eyes, she saw the passion, the agony and the love that he expressed, something he had expressed for months now without shame.

"I love you. I will always love you. There are no words to express how much I love you and will always love you." Hermione cupped his cheek in her hand, tears streaming down both their faces and onto each other's bodies. Neither cared nor even noticed. This was their moment and nothing could ruin it.

Draco, still not breaking his gaze into Hermione's eyes, slowly entered her with one slick stroke. They gasped at the perfect feeling of being connected and being so perfect for each other.

Tears continued to fall while they moved, adding to the intensity as Hermione wrapped her legs and arms around Draco, hoping for every god in the universe to let them stay together. Unfortunately, this hope seemed heavily unlikely and unless Voldemort was destroyed, they couldn't even get married, let alone stay together.

In their passionate lovemaking, they failed to notice that there was ancient whispering sealing them together. It was the first of many for the pair and the start of the many trials for them.

When they came, they kissed like their life depended on it and in many ways, it did.

"I love you"

The next morning, she looked back on the sprawling castle that was Hogwarts, her bags and trunk by her side and the promise ring, a satin choker with a teardrop diamond and pearl and dragon silver necklace Draco gave her the only accessories she had.

Hermione watched as Dandy walked out, holding her bags and trunk as she walked to her side.

"This is it, huh?" Dandy smiled gently. She had volunteered for this trip when Hermione confided in her about doing this several months ago.

"Yeah..." Hermione replied softly, stroking the diamond rose at the end of the dragon silver necklace.

"Does Draco know?" Dandy asked softly as they walked to the carriages.

Hermione closed her eyes, holding back tears, as she shook her head. She had woken up 2 hours before she knew Draco would wake up and watched the world go by as she packed. It tore her heart up again as she watched Draco peacefully sleep. Several times, she kissed and stroked his face and lips, almost to memorise his face and body. She doubted she would ever forget it but an irrational side to her overtook her.

"I thought as much. I didn't tell Neville anything either so you can be excused...I left him a letter explaining. I saw your letters to everyone as well so I took the liberty of writing one for everyone as well, even Draco." Dandy smiled again. She was aware of the intimacy that her best friend and her twin brother shared so she understood a part of Hermione's anguish. She loved Neville too but this was now a matter of life and death for her too, being a 'blood traitor' and all.

The pair entered the carriages and placed their luggage. Dandy spent few minutes stroking the horses. She had explained to Hermione that she had chanced upon the unnecessary deaths of innocent people in her house. She had shut her mind off from that, she was good at doing so, but her eyes still saw what happened.

They eventually reached the station where they used a fireplace to floo them to the Malfoy Manor in outer London where Dandy could get her things and where they could leave their heavier things.

When they got to the Malfoy Manor, however, they found Narcissa there, looking curious.

"Hello Dandy. Hello Hermione dear. Why are you home so early?" Narcissa kissed both girls before looking at them with concern. Obviously, being Dandy's mother and Hermione's almost mother-in-law, she worried about them and why they were home early.

Hermione and Dandy gazed at each other before they chose to reply. Since this was Hermione's trip, Dandy felt that consulting her before speaking out would be in their best interests.

"We're home early because we had already finished Hogwarts and Hermione wants to explore before the full devastation of Voldemort's wrath comes into play." Dandy smoothly explained. What she said was only half true and they both felt if they said at least a half truth, they would feel better.

Narcissa's expression morphed into one of understanding. She obviously saw Hermione's urge to see the rest of the world before everything worsened and the girls thought they saw a smidge of jealousy before it disappeared into a smile.

"Of course. I know that you want to see your house before things get any worse." Narcissa smiled serenely. She did genuinely love Hermione. After all, Hermione _had_ been living with her for the past year and a half since she discovered the reality about her parents. And besides, she was already promised to Draco and Narcissa could not even begin to imagine how to get a better wife for her only son

Hermione smiled back, ignoring the twinge of guilt growing into an almost pain-like sensation. Quite frankly, she was over lying but this was the only way she could protect the ones she loved.

The pair walked to Dandy's room and started to gather all the things they would _really_ need for the trip. They had allowed for the trunk that had its own room of things because it could be shrunk in both size and weight so they began to put in their essential clothes and then, eventually, it spilled into things they loved and cherished since they _did_ have ample space. They stopped themselves before it got too much, though, like when they started packing ball gowns and other rich clothing.

As they walked out of the room, with their shrunken large luggage trunks and smaller sturdier backpacks with their essential items like water and food, they found Narcissa looking down at them from the top of the grand staircase, an eyebrow raised.

"Dandy? Hermione? Where are you going with all those things?" Narcissa inquired in a worried voice.

Hermione and Dandy winced. They had hoped that Narcissa wasn't going to notice but then again, hardly anything passed the older witch these days with all the evil things and all.

Hermione looked at Dandy and nodded. She loved Narcissa and knew that Dandy would love having her mother safe and in the know of everything. Besides, she could do with Narcissa's advice in this venture.

"We're going to find Metacarta, Auntie. I had a dream that I would find my true family there." Hermione replied.

Narcissa looked at Hermione in shock when she mentioned Metacarta, alerting to both the girls that she knows something great about Hermione's true heritage.

"Mummy…what do you know about Metacarta?" Dandy spoke carefully.

Narcissa slowly walked down the staircase and sat down on the comfortable armchair that was in front of the happy fireplace. Hermione and Dandy put down their luggage and sat next to Narcissa.

"Dandy, sweetheart…We are Vampires." Narcissa sighed, making the girls gasp. "Pure blooded Vampires. I am the heir of Avery and Delilah, the King and Queen of the Ampernine, the royalty amongst Vampires. Your aunt, my older sister Bellatrix has been denounced as a Vampire long ago when seers saw she would cause great destruction, intolerable destruction. It was she who killed Lucius and that in the eyes of the Vampires is unforgivable. He was my mate and a Vampire must have their mate to survive. Most die soon after their mate has died but since I am my parent's child, they have granted me another to be my mate. That did not mean I didn't love your father any less than I did but it gave me hope that I would find happiness, true happiness."

Hermione and Dandy struggle to absorb the new information. Narcissa is the Vampire Princess and that means, she have passed her Vampire heritage to her children

"But...where does that leave Draco in the grand scheme of things? Is he not a Vampire also?" Dandy asked, confused that her mother only stated that _she_ was a Vampire but not Draco.

At this, Narcissa smiled gently and slightly happily, confusing the pair.

"Because he is my son, my firstborn son, he is _my_ heir. He is the heir to the Vampire throne. Vampires tend to recognise your heir as the child of your first marriage." Narcissa explained gently and proudly.

Hermione is dizzied by this chain of events. Her fiancé was the Crown Prince of the Vampire throne. It almost made her feel somewhat insignificant in the grand scheme of things. He was a prince and she was...just herself.

"I'm unsure how Draco will cope once he finds out but I am sure that he will get through this like he always did with everything else...I'm assuming you two left letters for him and the rest of your group. God know what Harry will do!" Narcissa nodded before laughing. She enjoyed the company of all the people her children were close friends with, even Harry. It was strange to see them but Harry and Narcissa had a surprising amount in common. Harry had no solid mother/parental figure in his life and he found it with Narcissa. Narcissa had made it no secret that she wished for a brother for Draco and since Harry was now Draco's extremely close friend and confidante, the pair being confused as blood brothers, it was only natural that Narcissa had accepted Harry much like she did with Hermione when she found that Hermione was as close to Dandy like a twin sister.

Neither Dandy nor Draco complained about their mother sharing her love with the people they loved. At first, both Harry and Hermione were a bit skittish but they eventually got used to it and loved Narcissa like they would love their biological mothers. Narcissa also adored Grace who was now Harry's girlfriend. She even said so when Harry asked her for advice. With Neville, she managed to convince his grandmother that he was now an adult and he would bring honour to their household, something that Neville's grandmother was looking for and thanked Narcissa for telling her. Narcissa was the mother everyone wished they had. She was the all knowing, all understanding and all powerful.

Hermione and Dandy rolled their eyes before nodding. They knew what Harry could do, not to mention Draco and Neville. Neville had grown up to be quite a handsome man who could manipulate plants to do his bidding. He got I+ for Herbology every time.

"Do you want to come with us, Mummy?" Dandy asked after she and Hermione had another conversation via looks shot to each other.

Narcissa looked worried for a moment before she smiled and nodded. She loved to explore new things, evident through her private gardens which she always added to. She was, internally, delighted to go on a trip with her daughter and soon to be daughter-in-law as she loved them both and this assured to her that they weren't adverse with her being with them like some children did with their parents.

"I'd be honoured. I'd love to see the rest of the world before reality takes over." Narcissa smiled widely, enveloping both girls into a tight hug, an equally happy smile on their faces.

The girls were also delighted. They were uncomfortable leaving Narcissa behind, even though they knew she could do well on her own. The proud mother of two was also an invaluable asset in this trip, her experiences not unlike the challenges they would have to face. Besides, all girls needed a mother figure in their lives if not a brother or boyfriend to protect them.

They quickly made plans. It was alright for the Malfoy Manor to stay on its own. There were house elves and some pureblood witches and wizards maintaining the place to maintain its beauty and there was no doubt that Bellatrix would bring Voldemort here soon enough.

"We should take some of the horses with us..." Narcissa suddenly interrupted their plans, causing looks of bewilderment to appear on both the girls' faces.

"Auntie...this is absolutely not the time to worry about the horses...I'm sure the stable master is quite capable of looking after them." Hermione spoke first. She would love to go on this trip with horses but this was not the time. They had to survive on the bare essentials. She had ridden all her life, especially here at the Manor. Dandy, Draco and Narcissa had ridden with her, all four being experts, but usually it was just her and Draco.

"No...you don't understand me, Mia. I have been breeding magical horses for some time now and I _know_ they will be extremely useful in this trip! Come with me, girls." Narcissa shook her head before striding confidently out the back doors, quickly followed by Dandy and Hermione.

The trio walked past the stables where normal horses were housed and into an area that Hermione and Dandy had never seen before. Now that they had seen it, they started to wonder why they didn't notice this before.

"This is one of my private gardens. Only a few of the staff knows about this place, including the stable master who checks on the horses regularly." Narcissa explained, catching the looks on the girls' faces.

Inside Narcissa's secret garden were several winged animals flying or grazing. On closer inspection, they found that they were winged horses or Pegasi. Most were white but some were gold or silver.

"Oh my..." Dandy gasped. She had read somewhere that Pegasi were extremely rare animals, even rarer than unicorns and dragons. To think that her mother was breeding them was astounding. Pegasi were impossible to find and no one knew a thing about them! Even in the wizarding world, Pegasi were myth!

"I am the only breeder of Pegasi and I do not share this secret with anyone. Not even your father knew. He had made one of my other gardens for me but this one I made. Even he was blocked from this one. This garden expands to suit their needs and they love it here." Narcissa smiled before lovingly stroking the nearest one which had flown to her.

"How many do you have?" Hermione breathed, her sky blue eyes shining as she gazed in awe at the flying horses that were snorting and neighing.

"Oh...at last count, about 40...soon it will be the breeding season and I will have more." Narcissa smiled, stroking the Pegasus' nose, causing it to sing.

The girls were in awe. Pegasi were very different to normal horses. They could fly, they were telepathic, they were able to sense people's moods, they could change their colour at will and if they were bonded extremely well with their owner, they could use magic to shield them.

"We'll need them more than we'll ever need the horses. I breed magical horses and ordinary horses but, Pegasi can change colour and that is a good advantage to have." Narcissa smiled wider, stoking the now extremely playful and brilliant blue Pegasi.

An hour later, Narcissa had finished packing her things and walked back into the private stables to see Hermione and Dandy talk to two of the Pegasi. They had obviously bonded and it was amusing to see the two Pegasi change colour extremely fast. The only time they did that was if a Pegasi had found its perfect master/mistress.

"It seems like those two have bonded to you. Would you like to give them a name? A consultation with them would help." Narcissa spoke softly, startling the two girls who, in turn, startled in the Pegasi.

"They don't have names?" Dandy frowned at her mother, never stopping to stroke the Pegasi who had chosen her. It was so cute and she thought it was adorable!

"No. Only one does. That's Penelo, my Pegasi. A Pegasi must be named by its mistress/master. I am their friend but I am Penelo's mistress only. One can only be master/mistress to one Pegasi." Narcissa explained, getting nods in return.

_Hmmm...what do you want to be called, sweet one? _Hermione asked the Pegasi in front of her.

_I've always found the samurai sword a nice weapon...Katana, if you'd please, Mistress._ The Pegasi smiled in Hermione's mind, startling her slightly.

"Katana? A strong name for such a sweet thing like you...Alright, if you wish. From now on, you are Katana." Hermione spoke aloud, getting a snort from Katana.

_How about you, sweetie?_ Dandy spoke to the Pegasi who was gazing curiously at her.

_Quiella, miss. Quiet Ella. Ella was my mother's name._ The Pegasi replied, slotting her head on Dandy's shoulder, sniffing the gentle lavender smell.

"Quiella...it suits you. You and I will be firm friends for life, Quiella." Dandy smiled, throwing her arms around Quiella, causing her to lick Dandy's face.

Thirty minutes later, after Narcissa had packed her clothes and the essentials that she needed, the trio set out on the back road with their Pegasi, willing themselves not to look back lest they change their mind.

_Goodbye England. I shall miss you. Goodbye...Draco...I hope you will understand...somehow._ Hermione thought, a single tear rolling down her cheek as she rode off into the sunset.


End file.
